Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar dies at 92

A former Pakistani president and judge has died

LAHORE, Pakistan -- Rafiq Tarar, a former Pakistani judge who served as the country's President from 1997 to 2001, died on Monday in the eastern city of Lahore after a prolonged illness at the age of 92.

Tarar's grandson, Azam Tarar, announced on Twitter that his grandfather had died.

Pakistan's President Arif Ali, Prime Minister Imran Khan and prominent politicians expressed their grief, along with the country's military chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Tarar was elected the country's president after the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif backed him in the presidential election in 1997. Tarar was a close friend of Sharif, who won the parliamentary elections in 1997.